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Literature and Medicine (ENGLIT 0541)

Literature and Medicine is a course designed and taught by Professor Uma Satyavolu in the Pitt English Department. It explores the relation between literature and medicine, and posits the centrality of acts of reading and writing, of interpretations of signs and symbols, to the practice of both literary criticism/production and medicine as it is commonly understood. The following are collections of student essays and work from the course. 

Spring 2021

Emily Falge is a freshman at Pitt, majoring in global business management and health services with a minor in French.  In the future, she hopes to work in healthcare administration, and believes that the health humanities will help her greatly in her career. Read Emily's essay here: 

Saharsh Talwar is a current freshman at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a dual degree in Natural Sciences and Economics with minors in Chemistry and Sociology and a Certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. He is extremely interested in pathology/immunology research and hopes to attend medical school after graduating. Read Saharsh's essay here: 

Lauren Charlton is a sophomore neuroscience major on the pre-med track. Read Lauren's essay here: 

Riya Patel is a first-year undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh with a prospective major in Neuroscience on a pre-dental track. Her essay discusses how modern medical humanities conveyed through literature possess the ability to facilitate a more collaborative, transparent, and inclusive dynamic between medical professionals and the general public. Read Riya's essay here: 

Read Samantha Branton's essay here: 

Alexandra Glova is a sophomore majoring in Biology on the Pre-Physician Assistant Track. While she is currently a volunteer at UPMC Children's Hospital, Alexandra hopes to one day work as a medical provider; she definitely think "Literature and Medicine" has been a crucial stepping stone in this path. Outside of school, she is a member of the Tamburitzans, a Pittsburgh based performance group for a variety of international folk songs and dances. Read Alexandra's essay here: 

Read Olivia Hanley's essay here: 

Spring 2020

Check out the Spring 2020 class' essays on the Pitt Bioethics website: 

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